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new cat story and warning

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  • Member since
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new cat story and warning
Posted by Howard Zane on Saturday, March 18, 2017 10:43 AM

Recently about a month back, I opened the pike to several first time visitors. As I was turning on the lights (240 track light pots), I heard...."Mr. Zane you had better come in here" Well their shock was nothing to my 9.8 on the Richter scale. In the center section were 6 ceiling tiles lying on top of two crushed structures and around 50 demolished Super Trees. What I could guess is that one of my cats gained access to the basement, climbed up the up to where scenery hits the ceiling, then pushed a 2'x 4' ceiling tile up so he could climb between the dropped ceilng and original ceiling. I only wish I could have seen the expression on the cat's face, but I don't even know which of my six cats did the deed.

Point:......a new vulnerability to be aware of. Everything was fixed within the first week and a new ceiling was installed. I do have what I thought to be a foolproof cat door????

HZ

Howard Zane
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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, March 18, 2017 11:02 AM

No pets at my house........

Sheldon

    

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Posted by 7j43k on Saturday, March 18, 2017 11:19 AM

Howard Zane

I do have what I thought to be a foolproof cat door????

HZ

 

 

Clearly, there's your problem.  You need a CATproof cat door.  Though your first choice isn't all bad.

 

 

Ed

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Posted by superbe on Saturday, March 18, 2017 11:23 AM

Just proves once again that dogs are man's best friend.

Bob

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Posted by maxman on Saturday, March 18, 2017 11:43 AM

Now why am I not surprised?

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Posted by dknelson on Saturday, March 18, 2017 12:18 PM

I was once going to host a group of friends to inspect my layout area, followed by an evening of railroad slides.  The day before they were supposed to be there I noticed a putrid odor.  Somewhere in my very expansive suspended ceiling something had gone to die.  It took a while but eventually I found a decomposed mouse. What a mess.   I bombarded the basement with spray de-odorizers but there was no mistaking the aroma when my friends visited.  We moved the slide show upstairs by necessity.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by 7j43k on Saturday, March 18, 2017 12:35 PM

dknelson

It took a while but eventually I found a decomposed mouse. What a mess. 

 

A mouse in a ceiling.  

I know someone ON THIS VERY FORUM who can supply an animal to minimize this happening again.

 

Ed

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Saturday, March 18, 2017 12:51 PM

Howard Zane

I do have what I thought to be a foolproof cat door????

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams

Doesn't exactly fit the situation, but it came immediately to mind.

Robert

LINK to SNSR Blog


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Posted by Howard Zane on Saturday, March 18, 2017 12:57 PM

Actually the door is cat proof and well designed....just today one of my cats ran under my legs as I was entering...my guess is this is how the culprit pussoid got into the basement last month.

HZ

Howard Zane
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Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:06 PM

Howard Zane

Actually the door is cat proof and well designed....just today one of my cats ran under my legs as I was entering...my guess is this is how the culprit pussoid got into the basement last month.

HZ

 

A spray bottle filled with water works quite well..That process stop my daughter's cats from climbing on the kitchen counter and stove.

 

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by csxns on Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:11 PM

7j43k
A mouse in a ceiling. I know someone ON THIS VERY FORUM who can supply an animal to minimize this happening again.

Eight cats and mouse still gets in the train room basement.

Russell

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Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:20 PM

Smile, Wink & Grin

dknelson
...eventually I found a decomposed mouse...

Usually, when you find one mouse in your home, there will be more...many more if you can't find where they're getting in.  Plugging the small hole(s) using steel wool is quite effective.

If, on the other hand, you find a cat anywhere in your house, simply get rid of it.  Chances are that somebody unwittingly let it in, not realising the consequences.
If you have a non-attached garage and gasoline in your locale is not too expensive, carbon monoxide is apparently very effective and painless, too. Smile, Wink & Grin

Wayne  

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Posted by maxman on Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:33 PM

dknelson
s. The day before they were supposed to be there I noticed a putrid odor. Somewhere in my very expansive suspended ceiling something had gone to die.

Had a similar problem with my shop vac.  Got that bad smell every time I used it.  I must have left the open end of the hose laying on the floor.  The entire mouse family walked up through the tunnel of love and then fell into the great canyon of death.

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Posted by Howard Zane on Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:54 PM

Similar experience with stinkbugs and a vacuum. A few years back I vacuumed up with shop vac a solid wall of these bugs. Feeling like a real wiinerr, I put the vac down and congraulated myself on the victory when right before me was a column of twos of these stinkbugs marching out in close formation from the long hose.

Back to cats................

HZ

Howard Zane
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Posted by 7j43k on Saturday, March 18, 2017 2:08 PM

Stinkbug MIKEY to stinkbug ARTHUR:

 

Wow!  That was THE BEST RIDE EVER!  I sure hope that nice human will let us do it again REAL SOON.

 

Ed

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Posted by oldline1 on Saturday, March 18, 2017 2:17 PM

I'll take cats to dogs. Never had a cat hump my leg constantly or crap in the train room. Meows are much preferable to barks.

I use a citrus spray and spray it across the train room threshold. Seems to make the cats not want to enter the room. 

Roger Huber

Deer Creek Locomotive Works

 

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Posted by Guy Papillon on Saturday, March 18, 2017 2:17 PM

superbe

Just proves once again that dogs are man's best friend.

Bob

i couldn't have said it better.

 

Guy

Modeling CNR in the 50's

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Posted by angelob6660 on Saturday, March 18, 2017 2:52 PM

Guy Papillon

 

 
superbe

Just proves once again that dogs are man's best friend.

Bob

 

 

i couldn't have said it better.

 

 

I disagree I have two dogs. One dog named Charles he got into my two stock cars ruining one of them and ate several tracks. 

Everything is placed high; so he can't get them, but he finds a way.

Modeling the G.N.O. Railway, The Diamond Route.

Amtrak America, 1971-Present.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Saturday, March 18, 2017 4:08 PM

oldline1

Never had a cat hump my leg constantly or crap in the train room.

Roger Huber

C'mon now - SMH

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by G Paine on Saturday, March 18, 2017 4:45 PM

Howard Zane
Actually the door is cat proof and well designed....just today one of my cats ran under my legs as I was entering...my guess is this is how the culprit pussoid got into the basement last month.

HZ

Cats is sneeky peoples, can sneeky in most everywhere, even give big Lions problems.

 

George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch 

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Posted by jjdamnit on Saturday, March 18, 2017 6:16 PM

Hello all,

There is no such thing as idiot PROOF!
Just idiot resistant!!

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

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Posted by 7j43k on Saturday, March 18, 2017 6:50 PM

Just to keep things in perspective, there's a current news story about Gracie the cat, who pounded on the bedroom door to save a couple from CO poisoning.

 

Extra can of tuna for that girl!!!

 

Ed

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Posted by SouthPenn on Saturday, March 18, 2017 9:30 PM

I'll trump your cats, dogs, and mice with a scared and hungry squirel in the dark running around my layout, for 2 days.

South Penn
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Posted by 7j43k on Sunday, March 19, 2017 12:32 AM

SouthPenn

I'll trump your cats, dogs, and mice with a scared and hungry squirel in the dark running around my layout, for 2 days.

 

 

If it was rabid, you win.

 

 

Ed

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, March 19, 2017 4:47 AM

OK, here we go again, another anti-feline thread, launched and nurtured by cat haters.  Super Angry

And I say that as I sit here with my morning coffee and my beloved cat sitting on my lap as we both read this awful horrible thread. Shame on all of you. Ick!

By the way, my cat is allowed in the basement where my layout is located and never goes up on the layout.  Cool

I will admit to one instance a few years back where one of my little HO scale fisherman went missing with only the fishing pole left as evidence. That little fisherman has yet to be found and, yes, Gracie is a feline of interest. Surprise

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by steemtrayn on Sunday, March 19, 2017 5:35 AM

Cats visit while assembling cars at the workbench. Murdoch (on lap), Nilla (on shoulders)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVptRtkAM8w

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Posted by maxman on Sunday, March 19, 2017 9:07 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVptRtkAM8w

Now that was a scary video.  And I don't mean the cats.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, March 19, 2017 9:58 AM

We have no pets in our house.

.

BUT... About a month ago we had a five foot snake in the house! That was a terrifying surprise. No idea how it got in.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Sunday, March 19, 2017 10:38 AM

SeeYou190

BUT... About a month ago we had a five foot snake in the house! That was a terrifying surprise. No idea how it got in.

-Kevin 

Have you checked the dryer vent?

Robert

LINK to SNSR Blog


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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, March 19, 2017 10:53 AM

ROBERT PETRICK
Have you checked the dryer vent?

.

Thank you for the idea, but the dryer is in the garage, not the living area of the house. All the doors are full perimeter sealed and insulated. An ant would have a hard time getting into this house.

.

My best thought is that the snake stowed away in a box we had in the garage for the Christmas decorations. When I brought the boxes back in the house to pack up the decorations he might have slthered out of the box and remained hidden for a few weeks.

.

In the garage I have had rats, snakes, black widows, turtles, and an opossum. Welcome to Florida! At least I have yet to encounter an alligator, bear, python, iguana, or gila monster! The mockingbirds and burrowing owls are the worst!

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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